Fastener for papers and the like



March 26, 1963 H. A. SHERWOOD FASTENER FOR PAPERS AND THE LIKE Filed June 15, 1960 I 7 '1 1 w S l S 2 4 /6 I l L-l l 5 v INVENTOR. F/G 5 50 HENRY A. SHERWOOD ARTHUR A. MARCH ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,os2,4s9 FASTENER FOR PAPERS AND THE LIKE Henry A. Sherwood, 30 North Road, Short Hills, NJ. Filed June 15, 1960, Sex. No. 36,415 9 Claims. (Cl. 24-67) This invention relates to fasteners for securing together papers and the like, and more particularly to fasteners of this type which are adapted to pass through perforations in the papers and are operable to releasably secure the papers together, usually to a stiff backing or folder.

One make of releasable paper fastener of the above type comprises a paper clamping element in the form of a thin, flat strip having at its two extremities a pair of flexible, thin blade-like tongues which are adapted to extend at right angles to the clamping element, and to pass through spaced apertures in the papers for the purpose of securing the same together in an assembled pile. This fastener further comprises a cooperable or companion clamping element in the form of a slide plate which has a pair of apertures or slots adjoining its ends, said plate being adapted for disposition on the opposite side of the pile of papers and being arranged to receive the said tongues of the first-mentioned clamping element. The slide plate usually has a shallow groove extending along its top surface, into which the tongues may be bent and disposed after being passed through the slots of the plate, thereby to secure the clamping elements or strips in assembled relation with the perforated papers disposed between them.

The slide plate also has a pair of movable locking elements or sliders which may be shifted along the Plate so as to overlie the bent-down tongues, thereby to releasably lock the latter flat with the groove in the slide plate. When the fastener is to be released, the sliders are shifted out of engagement with the folded-down tongues, whereupon the latter may be bent upward so as to release the slide plate for its removal and for removal of the secured papers from the now upstanding tongues.

While such fasteners have in general been satisfactory, there is a drawback when it becomes necessary to remove one or several sheets from some mid-point or location within an appreciable pile of fastened papers. In order to effect such removal, the two bent-down tongues are of course first released by the sliders and then bent upward and the slide plate is removed, together'with the smaller group of papers which is disposed on top of the desired sheets. Where such smaller group of papers is still of appreciable number, their removal often results in the registration and/ or order of the removed papers being lost, and in the papers becoming loose from each other. Usually it is desired to maintain the proper order of the papers in this smaller, removed group, and the loosening and lack of registration of such papers is inconvenient and in, many cases results in the papers becoming disordered. in their proper order and the holes in the papers brought into registration, prior to being reassembled on the fastener. This is somewhat time-consuming and often irritating, and further it may result in improper or incorrect replacement of the various sheets. 7

The above disadvantage and drawback of this wellknown type of paper fastening device is obviated by the present invention, and one object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved multi-part fastener for releasably securing together in a pile perforated papers and the like, which fastener has novel and improved means for holding in registration and in order certain of the upper papers, as for example a small group, at the time that one or several sheets below said group is or are to be removed.

In such case the papers have to be again put I Another object of the invention is to provide an improved releasable paper fastening device as aforesaid, wherein the removed small group of papers is at all times securely held together in the proper assembled order, until such group is again replaced in the pile.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved paper fastener as above set forth, wherein the operation of replacing the removed sheet or sheets and of replacing the said group may be easily and quickly effected.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel paper fastener device of the type outlined, which is simple in its construction and involves relatively few parts and components.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an improved paper fastener of the type described, which may be readily and economically fabricated.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved paper fastener device as characterized, which may be easily operated without requiring skill or appreciable preliminary instruction.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved sheet-retainer type paper fastener as above set forth, which is reliable in its operation at all times and will not easily get out of order or become worn beyond usefulness.

Other features and advantages will appear hereafter.

In the accompanying drawings, similar components or parts have been given like characters throughout the several views, in which: 7

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of the fastener of'the present invention in locked position;

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the fastener preparatory to operating the holding means for the paper;

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the fastener with the holding means at the beginning of the securing of the papers;

FIG. 4 is a view similar. to FIG. 3, showing the holding means extended farther through the papers;

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing the holding means extending through the papers and holding them in suspended position; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the fastening component of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the improved fastener for securing sheets of paper and the like together in a' pile, as provided by the invention, comprises a lower paperclamping element 10 which is preferably in the form of a thin, relatively narrow metal strip, said element having at each of its extremities a relatively thin readily bendable tongue 12, said tongues being arranged to extend at a right-angle or upward from the paper clamping element 10 as shown in FIG. 3. The element 10 is thus in the nature of an anchorage or carrier means for the tongues 12. The components or portions 10, 12 of the present paper fastener may be similar and in'fact essentially identical to the corresponding elements of well-known paper fasteners already in existence and available on the market.

It will beunderstood that the tongues 12, when extended as in FIG. 3 or upward from the clamping element or portion 10 may be passed through spaced holes or perforations such as are normally provided at the top margins of papers which are to be releasably bound together.

The improved fastener of the inventionfurther comprises an upper or cooperable fastener element 14, constituted in the form of an elongate, flat and relatively narrow slide plate, said plate having a pair of openings or slots 16 disposed adjacent its extremities, which are spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of the tongues 12 whereby the latter may be passed through the slots 16,

as is the case with well-known fasteners available on the market. The slide plate 14 has its opposite, longitudinal edge portions 18 raised to provide between them a shallow groove 19 which is so arranged as to accommodate the tongues 12 when the latter, after having been passed through the slots 16, are folded downward to overlie the slide plate 14. Further, the raised edge portions 18 of the slide plate 14 constitute tracks or guides on which locking sliders 22 are movably carried, said sliders being so organized as to be shiftable over the folded tongues 12 to lock the latter in their folded positions, whereby the elements 10, 14 are securely held in clamping relation on opposite sides of the pile of papers (indicated at 20 in FIG. 1).

In accordance with the present invention, novel means are provided on the slide plate 14 for holding together and in registration certain of the uppermost papers, as (for example a small group, when one sheet or several below the said group is or are to be removed from the pile. Preferably, as illustrated in the drawings, the said means is associated wiht the sliders 22, which are movably carried by the slide plate 14. Accordingly, the slide plate 14 carries sliders 22 of special construction and configuration, said sliders being constituted of short thin strips of metal or suitable plastic or the like and having folded-under edges, the folded, portions of the sliders reeiving the raised side edges 18 of the slide plate 14. Furth r, in accordance with the invention, the sliders 22 are provided each with a resilient, elongate extension or finger 24, preferably slightly bowed, arranged to extend along and tofollowthe shallow groove 19 provided between the raised side edges 18 of the side plate 14. The resilient fingers 24 are integral with and extend from the sliders 22 in the directions of the tongues 12. and slots. 16, and may be advantageously fabricated of spring steel stock having a thickness in the neighborhood of .005 inch.

Normally, when, the fastener device is operatively assembled so as to hold and clamp together the pile of papers '20, the tongues 12 are folded into and occupy the shallow groove 19 as the sliders 22 are shifted to extend over and to lock down the tongues 12 as indicated in FIG. 1. The fingers 24 of the sliders 22 thus extend outwardly in opposite directions from the'ends of the slide plate '14, as seen in this figure. With such organization the pile of papers 20 is securely fastened and bound, and is prevented from loosening or coming apart. However, when it is decided to remove one or several of the sheets of paper, as forexample a sheet near the center of the pile, the following procedure is carried out, whereby those papers disposed above the desired sheet or sheets will be retained as a group on the slide plate 14 and will be prevented from coming apart or becoming disordered. The sliders 22 are first shifted one at a time inwardly from its respective end of the slide plate .14 until the tongues 12. are cleared and thus unlocked. Preferably this is done as, explained above, by shifting one slider and unlocking one tongues at a time. The unlocked tongues are folded upward at right angles to the anchor portion of the clamping element, as shown in FIG. 3. The sliders 2 2. and the resilient fingers 24 will now be disposed between the two upright tongues 12. At this point the operator gently lifts one end of the slide plate 14 and with it the group of papers immediately below the said end which are above the sheet or sheets which is or are to be completely removed from the pile. When a raising movement of approximately one half inch or so of the said end of the slide plate 14 and the group of papers disposed below the same has been effected, the slider 22 nearest the raised end is shifted toward the latter, whereupon the tip of the resilient finger 24 carried by the said slider will strike the tongue 12 and will be guided thereby so as to enter the slot 16 through which the tongue 12 extends. If 'desi'red,.this action may be facilitated by manual guidance of the finger 24. Continued movement of said slider 4 22 will now cause the finger 24 to be appreciably flexed, as illustrated in FIG. 4. At this time, the slide plate 14 and group of papers may be completely withdrawn from the tongue 12 and from the remaining papers therebelow, and a further raising movement of the slide plate and papers will now enable the flexed finger 24 to extend completely through the group of papers being removed and to extend angularly downward and outwardly, whereby the tendency of the finger to spring outward will retain the slide plate 14 and the papers which have been separated therewith in a compact group.

The same procedure is now followed at the other end of the slide plate 14, i.e., lifting and separating the said end of the plate with the underlying group of papers from the sheet or sheets which is or are to be removed from the pile, shifting the slider 22 and the finger 24 thereof toward the said raised end of the slide plate 14 and efiecting engagement between the tip of the resilient finger and the adjoining tongue 12. The slider is now shifted an addi' tional amount to insert the finger 24 into the slot 16 and into registered openings of the sheets of paper. The tongue 12 is thereafter fully withdrawn from the slot 16 and the raised group of papers under the slide plate, whereupon the resilient finger 24 will be extended completely through the slot and through the registered openings of the said group of papers. The shifting movement of the slider 22 is continued to effect full insertion of the resilient finger 24 in the slot 16 and downwardly in the registered openings of the group of papers. Upon this complete removal from the tongue 12, the second resilient finger 24 of the second slider 22 will now be extended downwardly and angularly beyond the adjoining end of the slide plate 14 and in passing through the registered openings of the group of sheets below the slide plate will retain them in place at that end of slide plate 14.

Thus the slide plate 14 and the sliders 22 with the tongues 24 thereof extending through the openings in the group of papers which have been removed therewith will maintain the unit in compact condition.

When it is desired to replace the sheet material which has been removed, the entire unit thereof is placed over the upstanding tongues 12 and the resilient fingers 24 are flexed inward or toward each other to enable the tongues 12 to be again inserted through .the registered openings of the group of sheets and the slide plate 14 in the manner indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 5. The sliders 22 are now shifted either individually or both at the same time toward. the center and opposite end of the slide plate 14, whereupon the pile of papers and the fastener elements may be completely assembled in closely spaced relation. Upon proper shifting of the sliders 22, the tongues 12 one after the other may now be folded into place in the shallow groove 19 of the slide plate 14, and the sliders 22 may thereupon be shifted outward toward the ends of the slide plates, to lock the tongues 12 in their folded positions as before.

In FIG. 6 the slider 22 is shown apart from the slide plate 14. It is a one-piecerunit comprising a carrier guide portion 30 and the finger 24 formed integrally therewith. The slider 22 can be formed in any desired man.- ner, but preferably it is stamped in T-shaped form from a sheet of light weight, say .005 inch, spring steel and the portion 30 is then formed to shape by roll-bending the free ends 31 and 32 of the cross-piece of the T to provide a guide-way 33 of proper dimension to receive the slide-piece 14 and have a loose sliding fit therewith while at the same time interfitting with the side edges 18 thereof so as to be anchored thereto except for its freedom to slide lengthwise thereon. The finger 24 is slightly bowed, downward in FIG. 6, so that the end thereof will fit within the groove 19 in slight frictional contact with the slide plate 14. By virtue of the rollbending of the free ends 31 and 32, the carrier guide portion 30 is relatively stiff and inflexible, whereas the finger 24 is quite flexible and resilient and capable of being bent at least through a 90 arc without eifecting an overbend. On the other hand, it is not necessary that the slider 22 be formed of spring steel, since the same result can be obtained if it is formed from a suitable fiber or plastic material, or even a bendable material devoid of appreciable resiliency.

It will be understood from the foregoing that I have provided a novel and improved, locking type paperfastener device of the kind which passes through registered perforations of a pile of sheets, said fastener device enabling one or several sheets from the center portion of the pile to be readily removed without losing the registra tion or sequence of the remainder of the sheets disposed both above and below the said removed sheets. Instead, the said remainder of the sheets will continue to be held in registration, and the upper group of sheets will remain with the slide plate 14 as a complete assemblage, preventing disarrangement and disorder of the said sheets. The present improved fastener device is relatively simple in its construction and may be readily fabricated and manufactured economically. The device is easily operated, is reliable in its operation, and the technique of operating the fastener may be easily and quickly learned without appreciable instruction. Moreover, the unit comprising the slider with its tongue 24 may be applied to a clamp of the character described which is already in use, may be sold as a separate component, or may be assembled before sale to the slide bar 14.

In the accompanying drawings and description, the invention has been shown and described merely by way of example and in preferred form and many variations and modifications thereof may be made, and in its mode of application, which will still be comprised within its spirit. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not to be limited to any specific form or embodiment, except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A fastening device comprising, in combination, a slide plate having an opening through it; and a slider movably carried by said slide plate, said slider having a thin resilient finger arranged to overlie the plate, said finger being biased toward and being engageable with the plate and being movable longitudinally toward the said opening as the slider is shifted in the direction of the same whereby the finger, when guided into the opening during such movement, flexes and passes completely through the opening and extends past the end of the plate on the underside thereof to enable it to also pass through openings of perforated papers located under the plate to retain the same in registry.

2. A fastening device comprising, in combination, a slide plate having a pair of openings through it adjacent its ends; and a pair of sliders movably carried by said slide plate, each slider having a thin resilient finger arranged to overlie the plate, said fingers being biased toward and being engageable with the plate and being respectively movable longitudinally toward the said openings as the sliders are shifted in the directions of the same whereby the fingers, when guided into the openings during such movement, flex and pass completely through the openings and extend away from and past the ends of the plate on the underside thereof to enable them to also pass through openings of perforated papers located under the plate, to retain the same in registry.

3. A fastening device comprising, in combination, a slide plate having an opening through it; and a slider comprising a thin strip movably carried by said slide plate, said slider having a thin resilient integral finger arranged to overlie the plate, said finger being biased toward and being engageable with the plate and being movable longitudinally toward the said opening as the slider is shifted in the direction of the same whereby the finger, when guided into the opening during such movement, flexes and passes completely through the opening and extends past the end of the plate on the underside thereof to enable it to also pass through openings of perforated papers located under the plate to retain the same in registry.

4. A fastening device comprising, in combination, a slide plate having an opening through it; and a slider movably carried by said slide plate, said slider having a thin slightly bowed resilient finger arranged to overlie the plate, said finger being biased toward and being engageable with the plate and being movable longitudinally toward the said opening as the slider is shifted in the direction of the same whereby the finger, when guided into the opening during such movement, flexes and. passes completely through the opening and extends past the end of the plate on the underside thereof to enable it to also pass through openings of perforated papers located under the plate to retain the same in registry.

5. A fastening device comprising, in combination, a slide plate having an opening through it; and a slider comprising a thin strip having folded ends embracing the plate, movably carried -by the plate and having a thin integral resilient finger arranged to overlie the plate, said finger being biased toward and being engageable with the plate and being movable toward the said opening as the slider is shifted in the direction of the same whereby the finger, when guided into the opening during such movement, flexes and passes completely through the opening and extends angularly away from and past the end of the plate on the underside thereof to enable it to also pass through openings of perforated papers located under the plate to retain the same in registry.

6. A fastening device comprising, in combination, a paper clamping element having a tongue adapted to extend laterally therefrom and to extend through registered apertures formed in a pile of papers or the like disposed alongside the said element; a slide plate adapted for disposition at the opposite side of said pile of papers and adapted for securement in said position by said tongue, said plate having an opening through it to receive the said tongue; and a slider movably carried by said slide plate and having a thin resilient finger arranged to overlie the plate, said finger being biased toward and being engageable with the plate and being movable longitudinally toward the said opening as the slider is shifted in the direction of the same whereby the finger, when striking the said tongue as the latter extends through the opening is guided thereby into said opening during such movement, said finger flexing and passing completely through the opening and through registered apertures of papers adjoining the slide plate and said finger, and when the tongue is removed extending angularly away from and past the end of the plate to enable it to retain the papers in registery.

7. A fastening device comprising, in combination, a paper clamping element having a pair of tongues at its ends, said tongues being adapted to extend laterally therefrom and to extend through registered apentures of a pile of perforated papers or the like disposed alongside the said element; a slide plate adapted for disposition at the opposite side of said pile of papers and adapted for securement in said position by said tongues, said plate having a pair of openings through it adjacent its ends to receive the said tongues; and a pair of sliders movably carried by said slide plate, each slider having a thin resilient finger to overlie the plate, said fingers being biased toward and being engageable with the plate and being respectively movable longitudinally toward the said openings as the sliders are shifted in the directions of the same whereby the fingers, when striking the said tongues as the latter extend through the openings of the slide plate are guided thereby into the openings during such movement, said fingers flexing and passing completely through the openings and through registered apertures of papers adjoining the slide plate and said fingers, when the tongues are removed, extending angularly away from and past the ends of the plate to enable them to retain the papers in registery.

8. A locking element for a fastening device for holding sheets of paper piled one upon the other of the type having tongues extendingthrough spaced-apart and registering apertures in said sheets and including a. slide plate extending between and connecting with said tongues, said locking element comprising a unitary structure having a carrier portion formed with a guideway to receive the slide plate for connection therewith and sliding movement relative thereto, and a finger portion extending from the carrier portion in position to overliethe slide plate and being flexible to adapt it for bending relative to the slide plate.

9. For use in a paper fastener having a clamping member for-med with a pair of spaced flexible tongues and a co-operating slide plate having openings therein for receiving the tongues of said clamping member, the improvement of a slider adapted to be slida bl'y mounted on said slide plate for locking one of said tongues in folded position on said slide plate, said slider including a carrier portion'forming a guideway for rendering said slider slidablerelative to said slide plate, and afiexible finger portion extending from said carrier portion and overlying said slide plate, said finger being directed toward the opening in said slide plate and rendered operable when said folded tongue is unlocked and said carrier portion is moved toward said unlocked tongue whereby the finger striking said unlocked tongue is guided thereby into the opening through which said tongue extends to'retain a portion of papers stacked on the clamping member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Switzerland Nov. 16, 1954 

1. A FASTENING DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SLIDE PLATE HAVING AN OPENING THROUGH IT; AND A SLIDER MOVABLY CARRIED BY SAID SLIDE PLATE, SAID SLIDER HAVING A THIN RESILIENT FINGER ARRANGED TO OVERLIE THE PLATE, SAID FINGER BEING BIASED TOWARD AND BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH THE PLATE AND BEING MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY TOWARD THE SAID OPENING AS THE SLIDER IS SHIFTED IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SAME WHEREBY THE FINGER, WHEN GUIDED INTO THE OPENING DURING SUCH MOVEMENT, FLEXES AND PASSES COMPLETELY THROUGH THE OPENING AND EXTENDS PAST THE END OF THE 